Board-filling machine



c. A, BREWER. BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1919- 1,339,595. v P nt d'hfay 11, 1920,

' 9 SHEETS-SHEETI.

' lfi-verzfor: w CczrZesfl Braver;

MW k

c. A. BREWER. BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1919. 1,339,595. Patented y 11, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[ 31/ fi ML ays.

C. A. BREWER.

BOAR-D FILLING MACHINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 2.1919.

Patented May 11,1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

C. A. BREWER.

BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2,1919.

1,339,595, Patented May 11,1920;

9 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

51 we 712?) 1": CkarZesfl fireman C. A. BREWER.

BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1919.

Patented May 11, 1920.

9 SHE ETSSHEET 5- frzvenian C. A. BREWER.

BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 2,19l9- I Patented May 11, 1920.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

C. A. BREWER.

BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2.1919.

9 SHEETS-SHEET 7.

Patented May 11, 1920.

2,300, k h T/ 1i ww H H H M w l m2 4 r 0w. \V @7 l 7 g 8 $2 5 WWW 7x 6 w a Z C. A. BREWER. BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED .IULY 2,1919- I 1,339,595. ted May 11, 1920.

9 EEEE TS- EEEEE 8- C. A. BREWER.

BOARD FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mm) JULY 2,1919.

1 ,339,595. Patented May 11, 1920.

9 SHEETS--SHEET 9.

- fave/11hr: 1i Brewer;

\ 1,118,098, granted to me November UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BREWER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES A. BREWER 8t SONS, A PARTNERSHIP CONSISTING 0! CHARLES A. BREWER. NELSON C. BREWER, KENNETH E. BREWER, AND EVERETT R. BREWER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOARD-FILLING MACHINE.

specification of m" Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

' 'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BREWER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in tion is similar to the machine forming the Patent No. 24, 1914, as assignee of Albert J. Bates. The machine of the last-named patent operates on the principle of curling or rolling up flat stri )S of paper and epositing them in soc ets or apertures provided at pre-determined distances apart in a board or similar article. The machine of my present. invention, instead of operatng u on flat strips of paper by first curling or roll subject matter ofv Letters mg them and then de )ositing them in the sockets or apertures o the board, operates upon straight, folded or plaited and closel compacted strips of paper, first severing rom the forward end of a row of strips sections of a length approximating the thickness of the board to be filled, then pushing the severed sections into a row of apertures of the board, the latter being held in receiving position, then shifting the board to present the next row of empty apertures op )osite the ends of the strips, then severing rom the strips a second row of sections, then pushing these into the second row of apertures, and so on until the group of strips formin one load or charge for the machine has een completely cut and deposited in the apertures of the board. If. at this point, the board is not completely filled, the machine is recharged with strips, and again operated until the board is completely loaded.

The general object of the invention is to doaway with the slow and tedious process of. filling these boards by hand with folded or plaited strips, and to provide a machine by which the work may be expeditiously and economically performed.

The nature of the present invention, its

Board-Filling Mia-- chines, of which the following is a specifivprinciple and mode of operation, and the advantages inhering therein will all be readlly understood and appreciated from the followin detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanymg drawings in which I have illustrated a tactical and operative embodiment of the in ention, and in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with the boardcarrier and board to be filled partly broken away to disclose mechanism lying behind the same;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View, broken off near therear end of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of 111g. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through the upper portion of the machine taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective elevation of a portion of the bed and reciprocating pusher or follower, showing also the pawl-and-rack actuating mechanism of the latter;

Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged vertical sections taken on the line 8-9 of Fig. 3, showing the cutter just before and after severing theforward end portons of a series of strips; I

ig. 10 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 10-10 of. Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 5, showing the clutch mechanism;

Fig. 12- is a side elevation, partly broken out and in section of the clutch mechanism shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail view showing the lifting and dogging pawls that effect and control the step-by-step upwar'd movement of the board-carrying frame in idle or released position;

Figs. 14 and 15 are fragmentary side elevation views, partly in vertical section, showing the pawl-and-rack feeding mechanism for the pusher or follower and also illustrating automatic mechanism for stopping the machine when the latter is-empty and for automatically retracting the pusher-fingers from the path of the strip cutter; and

Fig. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the folded or plaited and compacted paper strip upon \VlllCll the machine operates.

The frame of the machine com rises chiefly a pair of parallel skeleton side rame members 20 and a horizontal bed-plate 21 resting upon and connecting the tops of said side frame members. The forward half of the bed-plate 21 is countersunk, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and a steel plate 22 is fitted and secured therein by screws 23, this plate 22 having its top surface formed with a series of narrow longitudinal rectangular grooves or channels 24 occupying approximately the full width thereof. he upper surface of the bed-plate 21 in rear of the insert plate 22 is similarly formed with grooves or channels 24 (Fig. 4) the ends of which register accurately with the ends of the channels 24 and form continuations of the latter. In the grooves 24, when the machine is primed or loaded for operation, are seated the folded or plaited strlps operated upon, one of these strips being shown in detail at A in Fig. 16. Each strip is of a size to just fill one of the grooves in the plate 22.

Mounted to travel over the bed-plate of the machine is a reciprocating pusher or follower which acts upon the rear ends of the paper strips under a step-by-step forward movement so as to advance the strips first across the path of a transverse cutter, and then cause the strips themselves to push the severed forward sections thereof into the apertures or pockets of the board to be filled, as hereinafter described in detail. This pusher or follower comprises a series of parallel rectangular steel fingers 25 of a size to slidably fit and fill the grooves 24, 24', and an overlying frame by which these fingers are simultaneously actuated. By reference to Fig. 4 it will be noted that the rear ends of the fingers 25 are turned upwardly as shown at 25, and these up-turned ends 25' are engaged behind the transverse member of a U-shaped frame 26, and are confined in place, with capacity for a slight amount of individual lost motion, by a keeper bar or strip 27 overlying and secured to the frame 26 and formed with a downturned lip 27 (Fig. 4) engaging behind the up-turned ends 25' of the fingers. Referring to Fig. 7, to the under sides of the 'longitudinal members of the U-frame 26 are secured bars 28 formed on their inner edges within tongues 29 slidably engaged with grooves 30 in the bed-plate 21, and formed on their lower sides with rack teeth 31. On the upper side of the cross-bar 27 is mounted a handle 27 by which the pusher or follower may be manually retracted pre liminary to reloading the machine.

The mechanism for effecting the step-bystep forward feed movement of the pusher is best shown in Figs. 14 and 15, and comprises the following parts. Fast on the main drive shaft 32 are a pair of eccentrics 33, each of which actuates a rod or. bar

between the working faces of adjacent teeth at each reciprocation. It will be observed that the next to the last tooth of the rackbar is slightly longer than the other teeth for a purpose hereinafter disclosed.

Between successive advance movements of the paper strips their forward ends are first compressed and then severed by the followmg mechanism, best shown in Figs. 5, 8, 9, 14 and 15. Across the forward end of the bed-plate 22 is formed a groove or channel 39 that intersects the strip-holding grooves 24 and extends below the latter and contains a strip 40 of horn fiber or like relatively soft material forming anpabutment block for the edge of the cutter blade, the upper surface of this block being flush with the bottoms of the grooves 24; and overlying the extreme end of the bed-plate, just forwardly of the channel 39 is a fixed bar 41, of triangular form in cross-section,

that forms a top wall for the grooves24 at that point and prevents bending or buckling of the severed strips as they are forced into the holes of the board to be filled. Also overlying the bed-plate transversely on the other side of the channel 39 is another bar 42 having a beveled or chambered lower rear edge.42 to facilitate the manual insertion of the forward ends of the paper strips therebeneath in the loading of the machine. Above the bar 42 is a presser-bar 43 that is guided for limited vertical movement by pins or studs 44 set in the bar 42 and passing through holes in the bar 43, said presserbar 43 having a vertical depending flange 45 overlying the forward edge of the bar and 43 cushion the downward thrust of the former on the latter. livoted to the ends of the actuating bar l8 are depending links 52 (Figs. 2, 5 and 10), each of which is guided for vertical reciprocating movement in a guide-block 53 secured to the sideframe and at its lower end carries a roller 54 that lies in the cam groove 55 of a cam disk 56 fast on the main drive-shaft 32. By reference to Fig. 10 it will be observed that the cam groove 55 is formed with approach and departure inclined portions 57 and 58 and with an intermediate dwell portion 59 that cooperates with the roller while thepresser-bar is fullydown on and holding the paper strips and the cutter is severing them.

For shearing the paper strips the following cutter mechanism is employed. 60 designates the cutter head that extends transversely between and is guided by the vertical extensions 49 and 50 of the side frame members. To this head is adjustably secured the cutter blade 61 by means of clamp-screws 62 passing through vertical slots 63 in the head 60 (Figs. 8 and 9). Ball gndgeons 64 on the ends of the cutter head are joined through adjustable inclined connecting-rods 65 to ball cranks 66 secured on the ends of the drive shaft 32. A. bearing lug 67 pivoted on the cutter-head has sliding engagement with an inclined bearing 68 formed in the inner face of one of the uprights 49 (Figs. 8 and 9) and this, together with the inclined position of the connecting rods 65, gives an oblique or inclined up-anddown movement to the cutter, thus giving a draw out on the strips severed by the cutter blade.

Referring to Fig. 2, at the forward end of the machine is a rectangular frame consisting of vertical side bars 69 and a bottom cross-bar 70. This frame is guided for vertical movement by and between the side frame members and .their vertical extensions 50 and also by guide strips 71 overlapping the side bars 69 of the frame. This frame constitutes a holder or carrier for a rectangular metal late 72 that is hinged at its lower end, at 3, to the frame bars 69 and, in its closed position, fits between the latter. This metal plate, in turn constitutes the holder or direct support for the board to be filled, identified by the reference numeral 74. The plate 72 is formed with a. number of holes 75 carrying board positioning pins 76, preferably four in number, that enter holes in the board to be filled and accurately position and hold said board on the plate. Since the machine is adapted to fill boards of widely varying sizes and capacities, the plate 72 is provided with a large number of holes 75 at varying distances from its edges ,so as to accommodate any size of board. At the lower ends of the vertical frame bars 69 are forwardly j'n'ojecting brackets 77 (Fig. 4) that form rests for the plate 72 in the open position of the latter when the board is to be applied thereto. The plate 7 2 is securely held in upright or closed position by cleats '78 secured thereto and overlapping the outer sides of the frame bars 69 and by latches 79 pivoted to the upper ends of the frame bars 69 and overlapping the upper corners of the plate 72. Near the upper end of said plate is secured a handle bar 80 by which the plate is readily swung up and down on its hinges 73. On one of the frame bars 69 is a scale 81 cooperating with a pointer 82 fixed on the frame, the divisions of the scale corresponding with the horizontal rows of holes in the board to be filled, and the pointer, which is located in the horizontal plane of the hole-filling mechanism, showing the extent to which the board has been filled at any period in the operation of the machine.

The rear sides of the vertical frame bars 69 are formed as racks 83 (Figs. 4 and 13), which form part of a mechanism for effecting the step-by-step upward movement of the frame and plate carrying the board to be filled, so as to present successive horizontal rows of holes opposite the filling mechanism. On the drive shaft 32 are a pair of eccentrics 84 on which are ournaled lifting pawls 85 to coact with the racks 83; and

.belowthe pawls 85 are pivoted a pair of dogging pawls '86 that likewise co-act with the racks 83 to hold the latter raised while the lifting pawls are descending for a fresh engagement .with the racks. These dogging pawls are urged into engagement with the racks by tension springs 87 connecting the tails of the pawls with a fixed member of the frame. Secured to the hub of each lifting pawl 85 is a depending bent finger 88, the lower end of which lies opposite the tail of the underlying dogging awl and operates to throw the latter out of engagement with the rack when theboard and its carrying frame are to be lowered. Reverting to Fig. 2, the lowermost position of the board-carrying frame is determined by forwardly projecting stop-lugs 89 on the frame bars 69 which come to rest on a pair of adjustable stops herein shown as screws 90 threaded through inwardly projecting angle brackets 91 secured to the side frame members. At each revolution of the drive shaft 32, the frame and plate carrying the board to be filled are raised the distance of one toot-h of the rack 83, this occuring during the idle or return movement of the pawl-and-rack feed mechanism of the pusher, and during the forward or working stroke of the latter the lifting pawls .85 are returning for a fresh engagement with the racks 83.

The weight of the board and board-carrying plate and frame is partially counterbalanced by means of aweight 92 (Fig. 4) attached to one end of a strap 93 which extends over a pulley 9.4 and at its other end is attached to the rear side of the transverse frame bar 70. This counter-balancing device is not essential, but facilitates steadiness of operation of the machine and is preferably employed. I

On one end of the drive shaft 32 is a belt pulley 95 which is loose on said shaft and is normally clutched to the latter by a spring-actuated. sliding pin 96 adapted to be withdrawn once during each revolution of the shaft by a wedge-shaped finger 97 lying in a groove 98 of a collar 99 that is fixed on the shaft along side of the pulley 95 and carries the slidin pin 96; said finger being pivoted at 100 (Fig. 11) andnormally upheld so as to intersect a transverse groove 101 of the finger 96 by means of a compression spring 102 stepped on a stationary bracket 103 and acting against a collar 104 fast on a rod 105 pivoted at 106 to the finger and extending through a guide aperture in the bracket 103. This type of clutch is an old and well known clutch employed on punch presses and similar machines requiring automatic control of the driving mechanism, and is excellently adapted to the purposes of the present machine. This clutch is controlled by a lever 107 that is fulcrumed at 108 (Figs. 2 and 5) and at one end is articulated to the rod 105 between a pair of buttons 109 on said rod, and on the other side of its fulcrum extends obliquely across the machine frame (Fig. 5) and terminates in a laterally projecting'handle 110. VVhen this handle is raised to throw the clutch in and start the machine it rests upon a shoulder 1-11 of a bent keeper 112 secured to the side frame of the machine; and when the handle is manually or automatically moved off said shoulder, it drops to the bottom of the keeper, as shown in Fig. 1, allowing the spring 102 to disconnect the clutch. As stated, the operation of the machine may be manually arrested at any time by simply throwing the handle of the lever off its rest 111; and this is automaticallyeffected at the extreme inward travel of the pusher or follower when a set of paper strips has been completely loaded into the board by means of a lug 113 (Fig. 1) on the side of one of the rackbars 31 coming into contact with the upper end of a pivoted lever 114, thelower end of which lever lies along side the handle 110- when the latter is in its raised position on the rest 111, whereby the lower end of said lever kicks the handle off its rest. The lever 114 is returned to normal position by the tension spring 115. A tension spring 116 normally holds the handle of the starting and stopping lever engaged with its seat 111.

The machine also includes manually op erable means within convenient reach of the operator for arresting the feeds of the pusher and board-carrier in case of faulty operation and also independentl of the starting and stopping lever. This mechanism is best shown in Figs. 1, 4, 6 and 13, and comprises the following parts. A bailshaped member comprising parallel arms 117 and a cross-bar 118 is attached at the inner ends of the arms 117 to radial projections 119 on the hubs of the lifting pawls 85 (Fig. 13). This member is normally held in the raised position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 by tension springs 120. The crossbar 118 is connected centrally by a suspended slotted link 121 (Fig. 6) to a hand lever 122 pivoted at one end, at 123, to one of the side frames and at its other end formed with a handle 124 projecting beyond the opposite side frame. The lever 122 is normally maintained in raised position by a tension spring 125. Rigidly secured to and depending from the outer side of each of the'pusher feed pawls 37 is a depending bar 126, on one edge of whichis a cam incline 127 lying just below a finger 128 that is secured to and projects laterally from each of the arms 117 of the bail-shaped member. When, now, the handle 124 is depressed to an extent sufiicient to cause the fingers 128 to wipe over the cam inclines 127 the pawls are rocked out of engagement with the racks 31 of the pusher, and simultaneously the pawls 85 are rocked out of engagement with the racks 83, thus simultaneously arresting both the feed of the stock and the upward travel of the board-holder. If the downward movement of the handle be continued until the fingers 128 reach laterally projecting feet 126' on the lower ends of the bars 126, the tails 88 of the lifting pawls 85 strike the dogging pawls 86, as shown in Fig. 13, and rock the latter out of holding engagement with the racks 83, thus permitting the board-carrier to descend by gravity (retarded by the counter-weight 92) until it comes to rest in its lowermost position with the stop lugs 89 resting on the stops 90. i

To aid in loading and priming the ma chine, there is also employed a manually operated device for clamping the presserbar 45 onto the forward ends of the paper strips. This device comprises a pair of elbow levers that are pivoted at 129 (F igs. 8 and 9) to the uprights 49, the forwardly projecting arms 130 of said levers lying in transverse notches 131 formed in the upper side of the bar 48, and the upwardly and rearwardly extending arms 132 of said elbow levers being connected by a handlebar 133. This manual clamping device is locked in clamping position by a pivoted hook 133' (Fig. 3) engaging with one of the lever arms 132 under the pull of a tension spring 133% the pusher frame are mounted a pair of longitudinally extending angle bars 134 (Figs. 6 and 7). These bars serve as guides for a thick plate or block 135 that, in the priming of the machine, is laid on the grooved bed-plate after the latter has been loaded with the paper strips, and the forward ends of the latter have been clamped manual] by the clamping device last described. his plate or block forms a sort of ironing device and is manually moved several times to and fro over the surface of the bed to flatten the strips down in the grooves of the latter, and is then allowed to rest on the surface of the bed to hold the strips from bowing upwardly. It is preferably made of glass, so as to permit the attendant to see if the strips are properlg laid.

n the opposite sides of the pusher frame are also mounted a pair of buffer or recoil devices, the function of which is to quickly retract the forward ends of the pusher fingers from the path of travel of the cutter during the operation of forcing the next to the last and the last rows of strip sections into the board. Each of these devices consists of a spring casing 136 secured to a side member 26 of the pusher frame, a plunger 137 slidably mounted in the casing 136 and having a stem 138 extending through a hole in the rear end of the casing, a coiled compression spring 139 surrounding the stem 138 within the casing, and stopnuts 140 on theouter end of the stem 138 normally abutting against the outer end of the casing under the thrust of the s ring. The function of these devices will set forth in connection with the description of the complete operation of the machine.

Describing now the operation of the machine. the folded and compacted paper strips are first loaded by hand into the longitudinal grooves of the bed-plate, one strip lyin in each groove. and the forward ends of t e strips extending substantially flush with the forward end of the bed. The strips are then temporarily clamped in place by raising the handle 133 of the manual clamping device. and the ironing block 135 is moved over the bed a few times between the uide bars 134 and then brought to rest to On the upper side of 'flatten and hold the strips down in the At this time the pusher is in its with the'forward lying behind the The manual grooves. fully retracted position, ends of the pusher fingers rear ends of the paper strips. clamp is then released.

Either before .or after the loading of the paper strips in the bed of the machine as described, an empty board to be filled'is properly mounted upon the board-carrying plate 72, for which purpose said plate is swung outwardly and downwardly on its hinges T3 to a position of rest on the foot brackets 77. By means of the pins 76 the board is mounted and accurately positioned on the inner face of the carrying plate 72 so that, when the plate'is swung to vertical position and locked therein by the cleats 78 and latches T9, the topmost row of holes will lie exactly opposite and in register with the forward ends of the paper strips as they lie in the bed-plate of the machine.

The clutch is then thrown in and the knife descends, severing from the forward ends of the strips a row of short sections each of a length slightly less than the thickness of the board to be filled. \Vhile the knife is thus severing the strips, the pusher feed pawls are moved backwardly into engagement with the foremost teeth of the racks 31; and on the forward or advance movement of the pawls 37 the pusher is moved forwardly the length of one tooth which corresponds to the length of the sections successively severed by the cutter. On this first advance movement of the pusher the severed strip sections of the first row are pushed by the strips behind them into the top row of holes in the board. At the conclusion of'this operation the board feeding pawls 85 make an upward movement, raising the board and its holder to the extent of one tooth of the racks 83, which is equal to the distance between successive horizontal rows of holes in the board, thus bringing another row of em )ty holes into receiving position. The kni e again descends severing another row of short strips which are pushed into the second row of holes upon the second advance movement of the pus er, and this cycle of operation is continued until the cutter has made its last strip severing stroke. At this point the pusher feed pawls 37 engage with the next to the last teeth of the racks 31 which, it will be remembered, have been described as of extra length; so that, on the next forward or feed movement of the pusher the forward ends of the pusher fin rs, as shown in Fig. 14, advance slightly yond the vertical plane of the cutting edge of the knife 61. The purpose of this is to force the last row of strip sections slightly beyond the cutting path of the knife so as to avoid filling and clogging the small passages at the forward end of the bed and overlying the strip 41 with pa r chips or shavings. The tips of the pus er fin ers having been advanced slightly beyont the cutting path of the knife, it is, of course, very necessary to re tract said fingers before the knife descends,

and this is done automatically by the plungers 137 of the butter devices coming into contact, during the last part of this stroke, with the base blocks of the uprights 49, whereby the springs 138 act promptly to retract the pusher sufficiently to carry'the tips of the fingers back behind the path of the cutter. In this connection it is noted that the parts are so timed that the feed pawls 37 are retracted to permit the retraction of the pusher by the buffer springs before the edge of the knife in its descent reaches the plane of the pusher fingers.

The last row of strip sections is forced into the board by the fingers themselves on the last forward or feed movement of the pusher, as clearly shown in Fig. 15. Here, again, the buffer devices act to promptly throw back the pusher to a position in which the tips of the fingers are behind ,the path of the cutter. It will thus be seen that these buffer devices perform an important function in the machine in connection with the feeding in of the last row of strips by enabling the latter to be fed into the board by the pusher fingers themselves without injury to either the fingers or the sharp edge of the cutter.

As soon as the last row of strips has been loaded into the board, the machine is automatically stopped by the lug 113 strikin the lever 114 and throwing the starting and stopping lever 110 into stopping position, as shown in Fig. 15. If the board is not fully loaded with one charging of the ma- .chine, the bed plate is recharged with strips in the manner already disclosed and the op eration of the machine continued until the board has been filled Of course, the machine may be instantly stopped at any time manually b simply throwing the lever handle 110 off its rest 111; or by depressing the handle lever 124, both the feeding mechanisms of the pusher and of the board-carrier may be arrested; and by depressing the handle 124 to its lowest' position, the dogging pawls 86 are withdrawn, and the board and its carr ing frame and plate are dropped to lnitial or starting position, which is usually done when a filled board is to be removed and an empty board to be put in place. In the event that the machine fails to operate perfectly through buckling of the strips or any other cause, its operation may be instantly arrested by manipulation of either of the control levers. I have found bvexperience that, owing to the small size and fragile and delicate character of the stock operated upon, the various coopcrating parts of the machine and particularly those parts effecting and controlling passage of the strip sections into the board. have to be made with exceeding accuracy and fineness of measurement; but when so made the machine operates accurately and satisfactorily, and will fill a thousand hole board in about two minutes,an operation requiring several hours time when manually performed.

It is evident that the machine shown and described herein might be changed to a considerable extent in respect to detail features and organization without involving any departure from the operative principles employed or lessenin the efficiency and utility of the machine or its designed purpose. Hence, I do not limit the invention to the practical mechanical embodiment thereof herein set forth by way of illustration, but reserve all such variations and'modifications as fall within-the spirit and purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for holding a perforated board, a grooved bed-plate disposed in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said board when the latter is held by said holding means and adapted to support a plurality of paper strips in the grooves thereof, and means for pushing said strips endwise into the perforations of said board.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for holding a perforated board, means for supporting a plurality of paper strips in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said board when the latter is held by said holding means, means for cutting said strips crosswise into a plurality of sections, and means for successively pushing said strip actigns endwise into the perforations of said 3.I1i a machine of the character described, the combination of means for holding a perforated board, means for supporting a plurality of paper strips in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said board when the latter is held by said holding means, means for clamping said strips on said support, means for cutting said strips crosswise adjacent to said clamping means into a plurality of sections, and means for successively pushing said strip sections endwise into the perforations of said board. I 4

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for holding a board containing rows of perforations, means for supporting a row of paper strips in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said board when the latter is held by said holding means, means for cutting said row of strips crosswise, means for advancing said row of strips after each cutting operation to force the severed strip sections into a row of perforations of said board, and means for moving said board-holding means to bring the empty rows of perforations successively opposite the forward end of said row of strips.

- 5. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination of means for holding a board containing rows of perforations, means for supporting a row-of paper strips in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said board when the latter is held by said holding means, means for clamping said row of strips adjacent to their forward ends on said support, means for cutting said row of strips crosswise just in advance of said clamping means, means for advancing said row of strips after each cutting operation to force the severed strip sections into a row of perforations of said board, and means for moving said board-holding means to bring the empty rows of perforations successively opposite the forward end of said row of strips.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a bed-plate having a series of parallel longitudinal grooves in its upper surface adapted to contain paper strips, means for supporting a perforated board opposite one end of said bedplate, and a pusher slidablymounted on said bed-plate and formed with a series of pusher fingers slidable in said grooves and operating to force said paper strips endwise into the perforations of said board.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a bed-plate having a series of parallel longitudinal grooves in its upper surface adapted to contain paper strips, means for supporting a perforated board opposite one end of said bedplate, a guide-bar transversely overlying said grooves adjacent to the forward end of said bed-plate, and a pusher slidably mounted on said bed-plate and formed with a series of pusher fingers slidable in said grooves and operating to force said paper strips endwise through said grooves and beneath said guide-bar into the perforations of said board.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a bed-plate having a series of parallel longitudinal grooves in its upper surface adapted to contain paper strips, means for supporting a perforated board opposite one end of said bedplate, a cutter operative to sever short sections of said strips from the forward ends of the latter, and a pusher slidably mounted on said bed-plate and formed with a series of pusher fingers slid-able in said grooves and operating intermittently to force said strips endwise beneath said cutterand simultaneously force the severed sections of said strips into the perforations of said board.

9. In a. machine of the character described, the combination of a bed-plate having a series of parallel longitudinal grooves bed-plate, means for effecting in its upper surface adapted to contain paper strips, means for supporting a perforated board opposite one end of saic bedplate, a vertically movable clamp-bar trans versely overlying said bed-plate adjacent to the forward end of the latter, a cutter operative to sever short sections of said strips from the forward ends of the latter just in advance of said clamp-bar, and a pusher slidably mounted on said bedplate and formed with a series of pusher fingers slidable in said grooves and operating intermittently to force said strips endwise beneath said clamp-bar and cutter and simultaneously force the severed sections of said strips into theperforations of said board.

10. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination of a bed-plate having a series of parallel longitudinal grooves in its upper surface adapted to contain paper strips, means for supporting a perforated board opposite one end of said bed-plate, a guide bar transversely overlying said grooves adjacent to the forward end of said bed-plate, a vertically movable clamp-bar transversely overlying said bed-plate just in advance of said guide-bar, a cutter operative to sever short sections of said strips from the ends of the latter just in advance of said clamp-bar, and a pusher slidably mounted on said bed-plate and formed with a series'of pusher fingers slidable in said grooves and operating intermittently to force said strips endwise beneath said guidebar, clamp-bar and cutter and s1multane- .ously force the severed sections of said strips into the perforations of said board.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain paper strips, means for advancing said strips stepby-step through said grooves, a cutter operative to successively sever short sections from the forward ends of said strips, a board-holder mounted opposite the forward end of said bed-plate, and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to said board-holder across the end of said bedplate.

12. In'a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain paper strips, a pusher for advancing said stripsthrough said grooves, a cutter operative to successively sever short sections from the forward ends of said strips, a board holder mounted opposite the forward end of said successive forward movements of said pusher, means for effecting successive movements of said board-holder across the end of said bed-plate alternately with the movements of said pusher.

13. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally and grooved bed- )late adapted to contain paper strips, a pus or for advancing said strips through said grooves, a cutter operative to successively sever short sections from the ends of said strips, a board-holder mounted opposite the forward end of said bed-plate, paWl-and-rack mechanism for effecting successive forward movements of said pusher, and paWl-and-rack mechanism for effecting successive movements of said board-holder across the end of said bed-plate alternately with the movements of said pusher.

14. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bedlate adapted to contain paper strips,,a pus er'for advancing said strips through said grooves, means for effecting a step-by-step movement of said pusher, and manually operable means for arresting the operation of said pusher, actuating means.

15. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain paper strips, a pusher for advancing said strips through said grooves, a board-holder mount ed opposite the forward end of said bedplate, means for effecting a 'step-by-step movement of said board-holder across said bed-plate, and manually operable means for arresting the operation of said board-holder actuating means.

16. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally.

grooved bed-plate adapted to contain paper strips, a pusher for advancing said strips through said grooves, a cutter operative to successively sever short sections from the forward ends of said strips, a board-holder mounted opposite the forward end of said bedplate, means for effecting successive forward movements of said pusher, means for effecting successive movements of said board-holder across the end of said bedplate alternately with the movements of said pusher, and manually operable means for arresting the operation of both said pusher actuating means and said boardholder actuating means.

17. In a board-filling machine, means for supporting a board in position to be filled, comprising a frame, a plate hinged in said frame to swing into and out of the plane of the latter,.and means for mounting the board in fixed position on one side of said plate.

18. In a board-filling machine. means for supporting a board in position to be filled. comprising a frame, a plate hinged in said frame and formed with holes at varying distances from its edges, and pins adapted to be mounted in any of said holes and to enter holes formed in the board, whereby said plate is adapted to support boards of varyin sizes.

19. n a board-filling machine, means for supporting a board in position to be filled, comprising a generally U-shaped frame, a rectangular plate hinged at its lower end in said frame, and means for mounting the board in fixed position on one side of said plate.

20. In a board-filling machine, means for supporting a board in position to be filled, comprising a generally U-shaped frame having at its lower end a forwardly projecting bracket, a rectangular plate hinged at its lower end in said frame and adapted, when swung forwardly and downwardly, to rest on said bracket, and means for mounting the board in fixed position on the rear side of said plate.

21. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a horizontal longitudinally grooved bed-plate to hold paper strips, means for forcing said strips through the grooves of said bed-plate, and means for cutting said strips into short sections, of a vertical slideway opposite the delivery end of said bed-plate, a boardholder mounted in said slideway, and means for effecting a step-by-step upward travel of said board-holder in a slideway.

22. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a horizontal longitudinally grooved bed-plate to hold paper strips, means for forcing said strips through the grooves of said bed-plate, and means for cutting said strips into short sec tions, of a vertical slideway opposite the delivery end of said bed-plate, a boardholder mounted in said slideway, pawl-andrack mechanism for effecting an intermittent upward travel of said board-holder in said slideway, and a counter-balance for said board-holder.

23. In a board-filling machine, the combination of a vertical slideway, a frame for supporting the board to be filled mounted in said slideway, a vertical rack on said frame, a. lifting pawl engaged with said rack, a dogging pawl also engaged with said rack, and manually operable means acting to first disengage said lifting pawl from said rack and, upon a further movement, to disengage said dogging pawl from said rack.

24. In a board-filling machine, the combination of a vertical slideway, a frame for supporting the board to be filled mounted in said slideway, a vertical rack on said frame, a lifting pawl engaged with said rack, a dogging pawl also engaged with sald rack,

manually operable means for rockin said llftlng pawl out of engagement wit said naled therein, a vertical slideway on one end of said machine frame, a board carrier mounted in said slideway, a vertical rack on said board carrier, an eccentric on said shaft, a lifting pawl mounted on and actuated by said eccentric and engaged with said rack, a dogging pawl also engaged with said rack, and manually operable means for rocking said lifting pawl out of engagement with said rack.

26. In a board-filling machine, the com bination of a machine frame, a shaft journaled therein, a vertical slideway on one end of said machine frame, a board carrier mounted in said slideway, a vertical rack on said board carrier, an eccentric on said shaft, a lifting pawl mounted on and actuated by said eccentric-and engaged with said rack, a dogging pawl also engaged with said rack, manually operable means for rocking said lifting pawl out of engagement with said rack, and an extension-piece on said lifting pawl operating, when the latter has been rocked a certain distance from the rack, to force said dogging pawl out of engagement with the rack and allow said boardcarrier to drop.

27. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips of paper in the grooves thereof, and a device for forcing said strips endwise through said grooves, including a bar transversely overlying said bed-plate, and a series of pusher fingers lying in said grooves and at aheir rear ends operatively connected to said ar. v

28. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips of paper in the grooves thereof, and a device for forcing said strips endwise through said grooves, including a bar transversely overlying said bed-plate and formed with a longitudinal groove in its under side, a series of pusher fingers lying in said grooves and having up-turned rear ends confined in the groove of said bar, and a handle on said bar for manually retracting said strip-forcing device.

29. In a machine of the. character described, the combination with a machine frame, and a longitudinal grooved bed-plate adapted to hold strips of paper in the grooves thereof, of a pusher slidably mounted in said grooves, a rack on said pusher, a pawl-carrier reciprocably mounted on said frame, a pawl pivoted on said pawl-carrier, a spring urging said pawl into engagement with said rack, and means for reciprocating said pawl carrier.

30. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a machine frame, a shaft journaled in said frame, a longitudinally grooved bed-plate on said frame adapted to hold strips of paper in the grooves thereof, a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and having pusher fin ers lying in said grooves, a rack on said pus er, a pawl-carrier reciprocably mounted on said frame, a pawl pivoted on said pawlcarrier, a spring urging'said pawl into engagement with said rack, an eccentric on said shaft, and an. eccentric rod connecting said eccentric with said pawl-carrier.

31. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a machine frame, and a longitudinally grooved bedplate adapted to hold strips of paper in the grooves thereof, of a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and having pusher fingers lying in said grooves, a rack on said pusher,- a pawl-carrier reciprocably mounted on said frame, a pawl pivoted on said pawl-carrier, a spring urging said pawl into engagement, with said rack, means for reciprocating saidv' pawl-carrier,*a cam on said pawl, and'a hand lever acting through said cam to disengage said pawl from said rack.

32. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a machine frame, and a longitudinally rooved bedplate adapted to hold strips 0 paper, of a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and having pusher fingers lying in said grooves, means for imparting an intermittent forward travel to said pusher, a cutter blade transversely overlying said bed-plate and operating to cut said strips into short sections as they are intermittently advanced by said pusher fingers across the path of movement of said blade, and means for automatically retracting said pusher when the for ward ends of said pusher fingers have passed across the path of said blade.

33. In a machine 'of the character de-- scribed, the combination with a machine for imparting an intermittent forward travel to said pusher, a cutter blade transversely overlying said bed-plate and operating to out said strips into short sections as they are advanced by said pusher fingers across the path of movement of said blade, and a resilient buffer carried by said pusher and operating to automatically retract the latter when the forward ends of said pusher fingers have passed across the path of said blade.

34. In a machine of the character described. the combination with a machine frame having stop members, and a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to hold strips of paper, of a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and having pusher fingers l ving in said grooves. pawl-and-rack mechanism for imparting an intermittent forward as they are advanced y said pusher fingers across the path of movement of said blade,

and a pair of spring-backed plungers carried on opposite sides of said pusher respectively and cooperating with said stop membars to retract said pusher when said pusher fingers have passed across the path of said blade. v

35. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a machine frame, and a longitudinally rooved bedplate" adapted to hold strips 0% paper, of a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and aving pusher fingers lyin in said grooves, a cutter blade transverse y overlying. said bed-plate and operating to cut said strips into short sections as theyv are advanced by said pusher fin is across the path of movement of said b ade, and mechanism for imparting an intermittent forward travel to said pusher and including means for causing said pusher fingers {force the last row of strip sections across and beyond the path of said blade. Y

36. In a machine of the character described, the combination with' a machine frame, and a longitudinally rooved bedplate adapted to hold strips 0 paper, of a pusher slidably mounted on said frame and aving pusher fingers lying in said grooves, a cutter blade transversely overlying said bed-plate and operating to out said strips into short sections as they are advanced by said pusher fingers across the path of movement of said blade, and pawl-and-rack mechanism for imparting an intermittent forward travel to said pusher, said rack including a tooth of extra length whereby said pusher fingers are caused to force the last row of strip sections across and beyond the path of said blade.

37. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to hold plaited strips of paper, and a manually operable ironing block resting upon said bed-plate to press and hold said strips down in the grooves of said bed-plate.

38. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to hold plaited strips of paper, and a presser-bar transversely overl ing the forward end of said bed-plate an serving to clamp the forward ends of said strips in the grooves of said bed-plate.

39. In a machine of the character described. the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to hold plaitcd' strips of paper. a presser-bar transversely overlying the forward end of said bed-plate and serving to clamp, the forward ends of said strips in the grooves of said bed-plate, and a manually operable ironing block resting upon said bed-plate to-press and hold said strips down in said grooves. 40. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to hold plaited strips of paper, a presser-bar transversely overlying the forward end of said bed-plate and serving to clamp the forward ends of said strips in the grooves of said bed-plate, parallel guide-bars disposed along the sides of said bed-plate, and a manually operable ironing block resting upon said bed-plate between said guide-bars to press and hold said strips down in said grooves.

41 In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips of paper, a pusher for advancing said strips through the grooves of said bed-plate, means for imparting a step-by-step forward movement to said pusher, and automatic meansfor arresting the operation of said machine on the last forward movement of said pusher.

42. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips of paper, a pusher for advancing said strips through the grooves of said bed-plate, a contact-lug on said pusher, means for imparting a step-by-step forward movement to said pusher, and means actuated by said contact-lug on the last forward movement of said pusher for arresting the operation of said machine.

43. In 'a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips 05 of paper, a pusher for advancing said strips through the grooves of said ed-plate, a contact-lug onsaid pusher, means for imparting a step-by-step forward movement to said pusher, a starting and stopping lever,

and means actuated by said contact-lug on the last forward movement of said pusher for throwing said lever to stopping position. 1

44'. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a longitudinally grooved bed-plate adapted to contain strips of paper, a pusher for advancing said strips through the grooves of said bed-plate, means for imparting a step-by-step forward movement to said pusher, a starting and stopping 12 lever, a spring urging said lever to stopping position, a rest supporting said lever in starting position against the action of said spring, and means actuated bv said pusher on its last forward movement for disloi'lging said lever from said rest.

CHARLES A. BREWER, 

